Milo and Maisie

Chapter Song of the South: All-Star Sports

God, would Maisie ever escape these eight-hour-long lectures?

She accepted the one at Cast Services—although it was four hours long vs. eight—as her punishment for knocking over her boss. Her freaking boss! He was undoubtedly talking behind Maisie's back about firing her after the All-Star Sports tour.

She sat in the back of the packed classroom (Player's Room, it was called) and buried her face in her arms. Yada, yada, yada. She got it. Safety was the Number One Key. Maisie didn't even want Custodial. Yet, there she was. She didn't mind the All-Star Resorts; she just didn't want Custodial. That didn't look good with an English Major.

Maisie lifted her head when the instructor announced, "It's that time! Time for a tour of your All-Star Resort!"

Finally! Get me out of this bloody classroom! Maisie started to stand, but the instructor stopped her.

"All-Star Music and Movies people first, and then Sports."

Ugh. Maisie sank back into her seat and spent the next few minutes thinking about Milo and Feya. Feya worked today, so Milo was home alone for the first time in a week. He was a well-behaved cat, so Maisie trusted he didn't trash the place. She worried about Feya, but Daisy was with her. According to the instructor, Merchandise also didn't seem as strenuous as Custodial or Housekeeping could be. Feya's main concern was the Florida heat. It must've been a massive adjustment from her country.

Maisie didn't realize she had spaced out again until the instructor said, "All right, All-Star Sports Housekeepers and Custodial, our van is waiting. Backpacks stay here, and make sure to take off your nametags."

Good. Maisie wasn't ready to deliver magic just yet. She would, hopefully, try that tomorrow—during her first on-site training day.

She dropped her red knapsack and unclipped her nametag, tucking it in the front pocket. Maisie joined her group and followed the instructor outside to the break area. A Walt Disney World van waited for them. It looked like a taxi that escorted Cast Members around the resorts.

Everyone piled into it. Maisie avoided a few newcomers because she didn't understand Spanish and felt out of place. She only had three years' worth of high school Spanish. And a little Latin because she took it as her school language requirement.

All-Star Sports was right around the corner from Cast Services. It was the first All-Star Resort people saw, resting at the end of a line of palm trees.

At first glance, it didn't look like much. What stood out the most were the large, yellow letters that stretched from one end of the resort to the other that read All-Star Sports and the yellow star before the lobby, where the drop-off/pickup zone was.

Maisie learned quickly that the bus stop was where the letters were. They took the Guests to the Disney Parks, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach. Maisie assumed that was where the Academy bus picked up CPs, too.

The van pulled into a parking area behind the right side of the building. Maisie saw a few golf carts, each sized differently, that had a back part for storage or something. She wasn't 100% sure.

"This is the back dock," the instructor elucidated, pulling into a WDW parking space. "It leads to the breakroom. That's where we're going first." He shut off the van and opened the driver's door.

Maisie's party mimicked.

It wasn't until they reached the outside break area she realized how big All-Star Sports was. Unlike other resorts, it was outside instead of inside.

Maisie barely saw a giant football statue out of the corner of her eye before her group entered the breakroom.

Oh, gee, it looked like it was break time now. The room was full of people wearing blue, janitorial-like costumes. They sat with their friends, ate, and grabbed something from the market in the back. Those must've been all the housekeepers.

Maisie's anxiety accelerated. So many people. Too many people.

She must've turned white because the instructor asked, "Are you okay, Maisie?"

"Yeah," she lied, rubbing her sweaty forehead. "I'm fine." Maisie wanted Milo, but ESAs weren't allowed at the resort—only Service Animals. She had to find a way to handle her stress without him. Going with the flow sounded like an excellent first step.

Maisie zipped her lips and remained quiet for the remainder of the tour, but she carefully studied her home for the next four months... unless she extended. The most impressive part of it, in her opinion, was the enormous football field between Buildings 7 and 10 of the Touchdown Hotel. Maisie wasn't much of a football fan, but the two giant helmets that Guests passed under to enter both buildings were too cool!

Maisie broke off from the group and stood under one helmet. She reached up and laughed. Disney magic—she felt it! It only took her a week.

She caught up with her party right when they reached Buildings 8 and 9, the Homerun Hotel. If there was something All-Star Sports did well, it was "staying in the scene" with its layout and decorations. Huge Coca-Cola cups surrounded the staircases of the buildings, adorned with baseball bats, gloves, and balls. The small pool and laundry room took up the heart of the Homerun area.

So cool! So cool! So cool! Maisie gripped the pool's fence and admired the set. If All-Star Sports was this unique, she wondered what the other value resorts were like. She hoped to find soccer as one of Sports's themes, but football, baseball, basketball, surfing, and tennis worked fine.

And hey! If Custodial meant working all five areas of the resort, then there was hope after all.

Suddenly, Maisie wasn't as scared anymore.